Friendship is the Best Ship...haha

Does anyone else remember coming back from your first day of kindergarten and announcing excitedly to your parents, "I made a friend today!"

Today about 21 years after the first time, I had the urge to announce this loudly to my parents and let them know that I have officially made a friend...Yes, my first Guatemalan friend...though I am not sure what said friend's name is...(baby steps...)

Ok, maybe I am exaggerating. I am sure I have made some Guatemalan friends here and there. I mean I am still close to my training family, but that is not really friendship, they are like a surrogate family. I am on friendly terms with my host family from my last site, but I don't see them anymore as I have my new site. I get along with everyone at my new workplace, but there isn't anyone in my community that I have clicked with or who I can hang out with on the weekends to just sit back with and chat with.

Just as I was getting kind of sad about my lack of social life or having any circle of local friends here to hang out with (non-peace corps volunteers that is), tonight, my first friend knocked on my door!

I met this guatemalteca (who shall remain nameless because awful human being that I am, I don't remember her name) through my sitemate one day while we were walking to go get ice cream. My sitemate introduced us, and we started talking, and she seemed really nice. I also found out she lives down the street from me, which is awesome since all my immediate neighbors are cantinas (and hence, BOLOS or drunkards). So, after that meeting I invited her to stop by my house for a cafecito, whatever baked goods I might have, and some conversation ( I NEED FRIENDS!)...then I ran into her again this week while I was walking to work, and she accompanied me all the way back to the office. And today, she stopped by my house and we chatted for a while, and it was so nice! I made her some tea and cookies, and we just chatted.

I finally feel like I have at least ONE connection in my community, which is a great feeling...for those of you back home who can't quite understand my enthusiasm for local friendship, all I can say is that for me, this is a huge milestone and one more way to truly integrate into my community. While my fellow PCVs in country are awesome and I have made some great friendships, I also want to feel like I have friends and connections in my community to feel truly grounded here.

I am finally starting to get that feeling of belonging...And my new friend ( I promise I will find out her name...you know we are just passed that point where I can ask her...) invited me to her house on friday to watch a telenovela with her! She felt sorry that I didn't have a TV and that I was missing out on some "quality" tv...so yeah, I'm not ashamed to say it...I have an official play-date on Friday, and to buy more love, I am going to bake something delicious to share with her and her family...

Yay!